Raleigh City Council supports Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce calls for repeal of HB2

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce is calling for the repeal of HB2 saying the law is bad for business and bad for North Carolina.

The highly-controversial law has caused businesses to cancel expansion in the state, affected travel to the state, and prompted well-known musical acts to cancel performances.

In a statement, the Chamber said the "legislation is a threat to our mission as an organization devoted to growing our region's economy."

At a Raleigh City Council meeting, Mayor Nancy McFarlane and the council expressed their support for the Chamber's opposition and called for changes to the law.

"Raleigh's legislative team has been and will continue to work hard in the North Carolina legislature to change HB2," said McFarlane. "It is important that the nation and the state understand that HB2 does not reflect Raleigh's values and does not change our culture of acceptance, inclusiveness, and diversity."

Watch video of Raleigh Mayor McFarlane's statement during a council meeting:

HB2 was passed in a special session of the General Assembly and quickly signed by Governor Pat McCrory to block a Charlotte non-discrimination ordinance, part of which allowed transgender people to use bathrooms and locker rooms of the gender they identify with. The law also excludes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people from anti-discrimination protections, and blocks municipalities from adopting their own anti-discrimination and living wage rules.

The Chamber's statement pointed to the loss of "250 committed jobs from Deutsche Bank, as well as a technology company that was considering the creation of up to 1,000 jobs in our region. Several other companies have eliminated us from consideration, explicitly citing this bill. Our Convention and Visitors Bureau is reporting over $3.2 million in lost revenues, and much more is at risk."